11th Circ. Scraps Lockheed Workers' Toxic Injury Suit

By Bibeka Shrestha

Law360, New York (October 21, 2011, 4:22 PM ET) -- The Eleventh Circuit on Friday threw out a consolidated toxic tort suit in which employees of Lockheed Martin Corp. accused Alcoa Inc. and others of failing to warn about the health dangers posed by beryllium in military aircraft parts.

The plaintiffs all worked at Lockheed's Marietta, Ga., plant, where they claimed they were exposed to toxic levels of beryllium while working on the company's C-130 Hercules and C-5 Galaxy transport planes and F/A-22 Raptor stealth fighters. Three of the plaintiffs contracted chronic beryllium disease, while nine...